Mo set for big derby cup tie with forfar

Scott Binnie

Montrose boss Paul Hegarty said his side has lots to work on defensively following their 3-1 loss to Buckie Thistle on Saturday.

The Gable Endies had most of the ball but couldn’t make it count at one end, while they were punished repeatedly at the other.

There were positives to take from the game though as new striker Gary Fraser opened his account with a scorching effort, while loanee goalie Jordan Millar made an impressive debut in the second half.

The Mo gaffer admitted he was hoping for a victory over Buckie ahead of this weekend’s derby tie with Forfar Athletic in the Ptrofac Training Cup.

The manager said: “We played well in spells but defensively we were very poor. We must have had 65 to 70 per cent of the possession but when we got to the final third we just didn’t have the cutting edge. Eventually we scored a great goal through Gary Fraser.

“It’s disappointing because we wanted to get a win under our belts for some confidence ahead of the competitive games. Defensively we really must do better. I’m trying to get one or two new defenders in before the start of the new season.

“We’re talking to clubs in the higher divisions and we’re just waiting on them to give us the green light on bringing some players in on loan. It was an excellent goal Gary scored from about 25 yards.

“It’s going to be a big game against one of our local rivals. It’s a local derby, they missed out on promotion right at the end but they’ll have dusted themselves down and it’ll be a very tough game for us.”

Jordan, who has played for the Scotland U17s, spent last season on loan from St Johnstone to fellow League 2 outfit East Fife, where he made eight appearances.